That is the highest point regarding the gutterline.... the ground sloped up about 5 feet as I worked my way along the wall. I can use my towable for about 3 days of sealing, then will need to rent a 60-footer for a day to reach a few more slightly taller areas. Spent all of last week prepping the attic for some sealing and the clean-out. Had to vacuum out a ton (probably actual weight) of guano just to be able to rebuild the walkway. Widened it, supported with bracing, and installed a tie-off cable the length of the walkway (130 feet)..... job being monitored by an EPA/safety firm.

Had to screen the top roof vents... no way to get to them without a 200-foot crane from the nearest street, so screened them from inside the attic. Safety harness, safety ropes, 24-foot extension ladder INSIDE the attic, secured to the walkway. This is a major project..... now on week 2, probably another week of sealing before excluders installed. Then once the bats are evicted it will require about another 10 days for the clean-out.

The steeple is 195 feet tall..... church seats 1000 people. This thing is HUGE.

Ron Scheller's reputation for excellent bat work is getting a lot of attention from people in this business as well as the people in need of his services. Now if I could just convince him to do a seminar in Vegas......

Ron ,nice photo's on bat job.Everyone who does bat control work gets called back on occasion when the bats suddenly return or show up in the living space before the guarantee expires.Every operator ive talked to,worked with and know has had this happen.My question is the 60 lift will have to be rented again if you can determine how they are getting back in and find it is in this high area.1.Who will pay for the lift? You or church2.is there a warranty?if so,how long?3.If you pay for the lift,that could be 400-800 dollars(in my area,a 60 footer for one day is 800 including delivery,is that cost built into the job for coming back?3.What if you cant solve the problem and the bats keep getting in no matter what you do.Do you go back unlimited times?Thanks

Back home after week #2 of the project. I'll include some pics from in the attic area. Pricing on jobs of this magnitude are very high, and by providing seperate quotes/estimates for the exclusion and clean-out the insurance is more likely to pick up the clean-out cost. In this case, they kicked in for part of the exclusion due to the fact the walkway had to be cleaned (vacuumed) before rebuilding. It is important to provide detailed explanations of the process required in order to work with insurance companies.

As far as guarantees..... I'll give a 3-year on this one as usual. Any call-backs are my dime.... so if a driveabale lift would be needed a second time, it's MY cost, not the customer, as in any bat work. Exceptions are storm damage or normal deterioration of wood or mortar. After doing enough bat work, it gets easier to decide what type of guarantee period is offered. On many old homes it is not possible to offer a warranty due to the horrible condition of the structure and the rate at which deterioration is occuring. But most of those folks can't afford to have a proper bat exclusion done in the first place.

On a big job like this one, there is no option for "not being able to solve the problem". I'm there to solve the problem, and the job is not complete until that goal is met. Exactly why a lot of people don't stay in the bat business long. Can't count the number of times I spent entire nights on top of 3 and 4 story structures observing bats and learning their habits, especially their persistence in locating entry points. I did this "hands-on training" about 10 to 12 years ago, and it has paid off in the long run. Many of the bat jobs I get are following up companies who failed to solve the problem. There is no "secret".... it's all attention to detail and COMPLETE inspection/sealing. Not sealing a spot because you "can't get there" is not an excuse. You MUST get there. In order to do that, it may require a 125-foot lift (at $2500 or more rental), climbing ropes, crane, etc.

By far the most important aspect is being able to recognize where every potential entry point exists. Funny how many people try to solve a bat problem by hiring a roofer, then a home repair specialist, then a soffit/facia company, then a siding company. After spending thousands of dollars on people who have absolutely no knowledge regarding bats and their biology, they finally call someone who actually deals with bats! None of the above companies are able to bat-proof a structure.... quite the opposite, they often create bat entries when they work on homes.

When doing commercial bat work it takes years to learn how to work it and bid it right.What I mean by that is being thorough with what you do and inspecting all work that employees do as well. Then you can have some measure of confidence that you have eliminated all current and potential break in possibilities around the structure.

When putting a bid together you should always build into it a safety reserve amount for the potential possibility of a call back for one reason or another. Then the cost of a lift, labor,room and board and travel are part of your initial bid to cover the costs in your guarantee period. Several of our commercial jobs each year require travel to different states or jobs several hours away in our base of operations state.

I have not had to resort to renting a lift on a call back as of yet in my years of doing commericial work. Not to say it cant and wont happen. Just have been thorough enough to this point to not have to do it.But things happen and when it does it comes out of our pocket and we honor it without question.

However if it turns out to be a non covered situation such as an act of God, weather, or post construction issue the customer is responsible for all the call back expenses. Which in some cases can be a couple thousand dollars determined of course by (cost of a lift, travel, lodgeing, labor etc ).

A call back will most likely require a minimum of a 2 man team to do the inspection determination,venting time and final repair.Then this has to be timed with weather, time of year and temperature. Then you are looking at a minimum of a few days on site time if it is an on the road project.

So you will have a min. of 2 men hanging around for a few days in a motel after the initial problem has been determined and corrected to allow adequate evacuation time to occur before closeing and heading back.

Then determining if it is deemed a minimal breach of just a few bats or a colony re inhabitation.Then you have watch time involved for one or two nites to make sure you have things under control.

And yes there are always clean up jobs out there that an unexperienced individual or company that has done less then desirable work and just didnt know bat work. I am sure there are many out there that get these calls also.The sad part is it is the client that has to suffer as a result of someones lack of good bat work experience.

Like Ron stated in many cases its a new roof, then new siding, new soffit/facia etc before they get the hint. That it takes experience with bat behavior, potential entry point recognition skills, good structural seal work/materials and proper venting in as many areas as needed to get good unrestricted bat exiting flight to do a good job.

How many times I have seen the results a guy trying to make the bats go where "they" wanted them to go because it was easier for them to establish an exit point 4-6 feet away and not venting the established exit/entry points that the bats are familiar with. Only to cause bat confusion,hesitation and resulting back ups. Some just dont get it........ These types of individuals need to get proper training or refer the work to an experienced business or individual.

What I mean by that is being thorough with what you do and inspecting all work that employees do as well

I go over my own work, the next day.....while it is still fresh in my mind..... Light, sagging caulk,,air bubble,,,,,shrinking caulk,,,temp/humidity..on and on......

I have never (but at 7 years i am new) had a bat chew thew caulk..

When I was restoring the top deck on a friends yacht, we striped out the old caulk from between the grooved wood decking and replaced it.....In doing so the "replaced" caulk, needed to be sanded....Sanding relieved a new world to me...I was shocked on How easy it Was to install a void,,,,,,,